Beginning August 3, 2009, CalMail will transition to CalNet authentication and participate in CalNet's campuswide single sign-on system, CAS. This transition will continue until September 30, 2009, when users will no longer need to remember a separate password to access their email.
In addition to simplifying how CalMail accounts are accessed, the migration to CalNet authentication will enable CalMail to add advanced features, including delegated account access and native Kerberos/GSSAPI support. We'll communicate information on these new features at a later date.
Depending on how you access CalMail, you may need to take action during the transition period.
Accessing CalMail via the Web
If you only access CalMail via the Web, no action is needed. On August 3, 2009, CalMail will change to CAS authentication. Instead of entering your CalMail account and password on the CalMail login page, you will be directed to use CAS to enter your CalNet ID and passphrase.
If you have multiple CalMail accounts, after CAS authenticating with your CalNet ID and passphrase, you will be given the opportunity to select the email account you want to access.
Accessing CalMail via a desktop client
If you access CalMail via a desktop client (i.e., Thunderbird, Eudora, Outlook, etc.), action on your part will be necessary.
Starting August 3, 2009, you may begin using your CalNet passphrase to access your email accounts. During the transition period from August 3, 2009 through September 29, 2009, you may authenticate to CalMail using either your legacy CalMail password or your CalNet passphrase. On September 30, 2009, only your CalNet passphrase can be used to access your email accounts. The login/username field in your email client will continue to be your email account name; only the password used to authenticate will need to be updated.
If your password is saved in your desktop client, you will need to update its settings during the transition period. Knowledge base entries will be created for all major email clients to describe the update process. Current knowledge base entries can be found at http://kb.berkeley.edu/. Enter the name of your email client in the Search box to find articles about it. We will continue to update the knowledge base entries as we approach the transition period.
Accessing CalMail via a department account
If you access CalMail via a departmental account with a custom application for purposes of relaying email, no user action will be needed. CalMail will support CalMail-specific application passwords for situations where it is not appropriate to use CalNet credentials. All existing departmental account passwords will be automatically migrated to application passwords.
Future communications
This communication is the first of many between now and the end of the transition period. A list of all upcoming communication dates can be found at https://kb.berkeley.edu/kb2685.
Once the transition period is underway, we will send targeted email notifications to IMAP and POP users who have not yet switched to using their CalNet passphrase.
The CalMail team has worked extensively with the CalNet team, CISPC, and the UCB Steering Committees for Messaging and Identity Management on this project.
If you have any questions, please contact